This article gives you a brief look into the NHL’s Atlantic Division only due to the fact that I cannot write about all teams in less than 4000 words.

The Atlantic

Don’t look at me like I’m crazy, but I think the Ottawa Senators can make the playoffs this year, and no, it’s not because I have Tim Stüzle on my fantasy roster. I think the Senators have who they need; last season Stüzle racked up 90 points while Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux scored over 70; it seems like they have the ability to repeat. Defensively they have Artem Zub, Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, and Erik Brännström. Throw in the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko and the return of Josh Norris. The Senators have a solid goaltending situation, especially with backup Anton Forsberg coming through.

Last season the Boston Bruins had the greatest season of the modern NHL Salary Cap era (after 2005-2006). However, captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement over the off-season, causing fears that the Bruins would suffer from somewhat of a lack of depth of centers. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case, as all four seem to be coming through. David Pastraňák scored 61 goals last season and seems to be on track; the team looks to be a top playoff contender in the Atlantic. The Boston Bruins have an undefeated 6-0 record so far. This means you’ll have to deal with the Boston Bruins fans in your life who will wear their David Pastranak jersey to a Rangers-Oilers game.

The Montreal Canadiéns are doing okay; they have a similar record in the first four games scoring a 2-1-1 record as last season they started 2-2. This leaves them at a similar starting point; the Canadiéns have the skills to put themselves on a path to a better season. The win versus the Buffalo Sabers helped them on their move up to third in the Atlantic. The Sabres aren’t doing that hot, meaning this was a crucial game to help put them ahead. Cole Caufield is back in action and definitely will be a key piece to the Canadiéns offense this season. The Canadiéns defense is overall very defensively focused compared to many other teams in the league, offering an interesting advantage.

Auston Matthews has already had two Hattricks in games against the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild. During the 2021-22, he netted 60– and so far, he’s on pace to hit that number again. The usual suspects are all doing fairly well, and offensively, the team is fine. With 23 goals for the team in six games, they are having no problems there, but they are having issues defensively. A plus/minus for the team as a whole would be only three, and one more loss could tip that scale to the negatives. The use of Backup goalie Joseph Woll is definitely helping, with a .958 save percentage and one shutout, but I don’t think he can single-handedly solve the Leaf’s defense problems.

The Florida Panthers lost the Stanley Cup Championship to the Vegas Golden Knights last season. This season the Panthers seem to be struggling, there are some bright spots in places, such as Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart, but there are massive gaps in the team. Matthew Tkachuk has yet to pick up a goal, and Alexsander Barkov only has one to his name. Brandon Montour’s absence in the lineup can definitely be seen, and just the general push of the team appears to be less than last year.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have to finally deal with their problem of a lack of depth in goaltenders after Andrei Vasalevskiy is out for the start of the season, thus exposing some of their overall weaknesses, although Jonas Johansson is getting the hang of it. The Lightning picked up two consecutive Stanley Cup wins during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and went to the finals one year later only a few key players from that team are left. Brandon Hagel, а young talented winger who was added after the wins, is definitely a new key piece to the team.

Detroit Red Wings are having a season that could only be seen as a complete 180 from last year; they went from second worst in the Atlantic to a team with a 5-1 record. The addition of Alex DeBrincat was a genius move by Steve Yzerman. DeBrincat is currently leading the league in points with 12 and goals (8). Honestly, the DeBrincat trade could be one of the best off-season moves. The Red Wings are leading the league in goals for with 30 in six games played and have had three six-goal games and one shutout. The Red Wings are definitely in the running for the Stanley Cup.

The Buffalo Sabers have had the longest active playoff drought in the NHL of twelve seasons. The Buffalo Sabers landed 5th in the Atlantic and fell just out of the grasp of sucking a wild card spot. The Sabers aren’t off to a hot start in the highly competitive Atlantic Division, falling in 7th place; this could mean the drought will extend to 13 seasons. The Sabers have started gaining momentum during their six-four victory against the Ottawa Senators. It’s very early in the season, and the Sabers definitely have a chance to turn things around.

Things you need to know for this Article:

• There are 32 NHL teams, 8 in each division
• NHL teams play an 82-game season
• .930 throughout a full season is an overall high save percentage
• A team with seven points may have a record that looks like 2-1-3, meaning they have two wins, one loss, and three overtime losses.

A lineup example: